Closure member



CLOSURE MEMBER Nathan Zepelovitch, New York, N. Y., assignor to ahum A. Bernstein, New York, N. Y.

Application December 11, 1951, Serial No. 260,980

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-52) This invention relates to closure members for containers and more particularly to a reusable stopper for the hermetic sealing of bottles and other containers.

Closure members of the type herein disclosed are especially useful in conjunction with the initial closing and hermetic sealing at the bottling plant of glass or plastic bottles of the type conventionally used for carbonated beverages such as gingerale, various types of :cola drinks, certain alcoholic beverages and the like, and in addition is of a construction that permits continual reuse for hermetic sealing purposes by the eventual purchaser.

Many varied types of closure members are known in the art and are in common use at the present time. Some desirable attributes of a closure member are: a simplicity of construction, requiring the use of readily available and inexpensive components that may be formed by simple mass production manufacturing techniques; the provision of an efiicient initial hermetic seal preferably on a surface of the closure member that is not susceptible of damage in the formation thereof; a durability of construction to provide for a relatively long usable life and to withstand rough usage and handling; and reusability, so that purchasers may reutilize the closure member to preserve partially used container contents.

Included among the conventional closure members known to the art and in widespread use at the present time are stoppers of the reusable type such as, for example, the conventional cork stopper. This reusable type stopper, in addition to being relatively expensive, deteriorates with usage, particularly when mechanical aids such as a cork screw are necessary for removal. The attendant crumbling and mechanical damage which usually accompanies removal frequently results in contamination of the container contents and eventual waste of the same. The conventional cork stopper is not widely used in conjunction with containers for carbonated beverages or any container in which a pressure may build up therein. Such a pressure acts upon the stopper in such a manner as to tend to force the cork out of the container mouth. Consequently when the cork stopper is used with a fluid that is liable to result in a pressure build-up within the container, it is usually reinforced and held in closed relationship by wire or similar material engaging the outer surface of the stopper and being secured beneath a lip portion of the container proper. Such a construction is usually necessary to assure the retaining of the cork within the neck of the container in the event of a pressure build-up therein. 7

Other types of reusable stoppers are known to the art and are commercially available, but they are usually of complicated construction, offering relatively difficult problems of formation and assembly and requiring a multiplicity of parts all of which tend to make them relatively expensive and necessitate a limitation of use of that of a novelty nature rather than a widespread commercial utility.

Perhaps the most widely used non-reusable closure member for bottles containing carbonated beverages and United Sttes Patent 2,771,205 Patented Nov. 20, 1956 the like is the conventional crimped metallic bottle cap, known as the crown cork, and having a paraffin coated cork liner. This closure member, due to its extensively crimped edges requires a relatively large metal blank for its formation and the maintenance of an eifective hermetic seal requires the utilization of an internally disposed auxiliary cork sealing wafer that is usually coated with parafiin or some other appropriate substance to improve its sealing qualities.

In order to withstand the pressure buildup in containers for carbonated beverages, the conventional metallic bottle cap is formed of relatively thick metal and requires a particularly contoured and critically dimensioned container having rigid commercial tolerances particularly in the locking ring area and external lip portions about which the crimped portion of the cap is deformed. Moreover, the necessity of crimping the edges of the stopper in order to effect and maintain the sealing relationship requires the utilization of a relatively thick metal blank in order to assure suflicient metal strength to maintain the crimped portions in their deformed condition to assure the maintenance of the seal. Although this type of closure member is among the least expensive of those known to the art, the relatively large metallic blank, the necessary cork liningand coating therefor, the carefully contoured bottle, and the critical dimensions associated therewith leave much room for improvement. Moreover, the construction of the conventional crimped metallic bottle cap is such as to prevent reuse because the deformation which always accompanies removal precludes reuse by the purchaser.

This invention may be briefly described as an inexpensive, simply constructed, and readily formed reusable closure member adapted for internal disposition within the mouths of conventional containers for all purposes and is particularly useful in conjunction with containers for carbonated beverages and the like. The closure member is provided with a substantially cylindrical metallic body portion sized to pressure fit internally within the neck of the container, terminating in an' integral concavoaconvex bottom portion and an integral outwardly flanged annularly shaped upper portion and coated with an externally disposed thin film of resilient deformable material disposed at least on the container contacting surfaces of said body portion.

Among the advantages of the closure member herein described is a simplicity of construction requiring inexpensive components that may be readily formed by simple and inexpensive mass production manufacturing operations, yet of sufficient durability to permit its initial use for hermetic sealing purposes at a bottling plant and a continual reuse for hermetic sealing purposes by the purchaser and user of the container.

Another advantage of the closure member herein described that flows from its unique construction and ready adaptation for disposition within the neck of the container is that any increase in pressure within the container aids in the maintenace of, and in fact increases, the effectiveness of the hermetic seal. Because of this unique constructional factor, thinner metallic blanks may be used in the formation of the closure member and such use therefore results in a considerable saving in the weight of metal required in quantity production.

A still further advantage of the closure member herein described is that the construction may readily be used with equal facility in the conventional bottles used for carbonated beverages such as ginger ale, various cola drinks and the like as well as with containers that do not require the particular contours and critical dimensions required for utilization of the conventional crimped metallic bottle cap.

Still another advantage of the closure member herein described is that its use does not depend upon critical bottle contours and dimensions and as such will permit a simplification of conventional bottle construction through the elimination of the particularly contoured and critically dimensioned outer surfaces.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved closure member.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved closure member adapted for internal disposition within the necks of conventional containers for carbonated beverages and the like.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a closure member that is simply constructed, easily formed, and relatively inexpensive.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following disclosure and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose by way of example the principle of the invention and the presently preferred embodiment of the closure member incorporating that principle.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view, partially in section, of the presently preferred embodiment of the closure member;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the closure member illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating the construction and contour of the closure member as disposed above the mouth of the container prior to its insertion therein;

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating the construction and. contour of the closure member as disposed during insertion into a container; and

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating the construction and contour of the closure member as disposed after insertion in and in hermetic sealing relationship with a container.

Referring first to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and particularly to Fig. 3, there is illustrated, by way of example, the contours and proportioning of the mouth portion of a conventional bottle used to contain carbonated beverages such as ginger ale, various cola drinks and like fluids and adapted to be sealed by the conventional crimped metallic bottle cap. In this conventional construction, the master and critical dimension, identified by the reference numeral 10, is conventionally known as the locking ring diameter, and any variation necessitated by manufacturing conditions in other dimensions are uniformly related to variations in said locking ring diameter It}. The portion of the container identified by the reference numeral 12 (see Fig. 3) is known in the art as the locking ring area, and that identified by the reference numeral 14 is conventionally known as the reinforcing ring area. In the conventional container sealed by the crimped metallic bottle cap, the hermetic seal is effected by the cork lining of the cap abutting, in pressed relation, the horizontally disposed sealing surface 16. The sealing area is thus limited and is determined largely by the extent of said horizontally disposed sealing surface 16.

The critical nature of the contour and dimensions is revealed, for example, by the manufacturing specifications for a typical bottle of the conventional type as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. These are 1047:.016 inches for the locking ring diameter It}; .6l7 '-.023.024 inch for the internal neck diameter 18; .687 inch for the locking ring area 12 and reinforcing ring area 14; .156 inch radius of curvature for the curved portion 20; .094 inch radius of curvature for the curved portion 22; .047 inch radius of curvature for the curved portion 24; .094 inch radius of curvature for the curved portion 26; and a .047 inch setback for the recess 28 formed by the curved portion 26. These contours are required to be observed in order to effectuate a secure closing with the crimped metallic cap and add to the expense of present day container manufacture.

In conventional bottles such as that described above, there is included an inherent defect resulting from the manufacturing process in the form of a slight increase in the internal neck diameter 18 measured only in thousandths of an inch or less in the portion of the neck disposed horizontally adjacent the recessed curved portion 26 as at 30. This slight increase in internal neck diameter is considered to be somewhat of a defect in the bottle construction, but is one of absolutely no consequence when the bottle is to be sealed by the conventional crimped bottle cap, for its location has no relation to the sealing or cap retaining surfaces.

in contradistinction therewith, the closure member herein described, being adapted for internal disposition within the neck of the bottle utilizes this inherent defect to improve the characteristics and maintenance of the hermetic seal but does not depend upon the presence of the same for operability.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 in addition to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, there is provided a closure member conveniently formed from a blank of thin sheet metal so as to provide a substantially cylindrical continuous body portion 32 sized to pressure fit within the neck ofthe bottle and'of an extent to be disposed within the locking ring area 12 when inserted in the container. This proportioning takes advantage of the above mentioned inherent defect in conventional bottle construction. The lower extremity of the body portion 32 curvedly terminates in and merges with an integral continuous bottom portion 34 of concavoconvex shape over at least a portion of its extent. By concavo-convex shape, it is meant that the bottom-portion 34 is concave in shapewhen viewed from the top or from the body portion 32 of the closure member and convex in shape when viewed from the bottom or from the interior of the container.

in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the draw;

7 ings, the body portion 32 is shown as slightly frusto conical in shape with the lower portion thereof being-slightly greater in diameter than the upper portions thereof and greater in extent than the internal diameter of the neck of the container. Although such frusto conical construction is preferred, it is not essential, for the closure member operates satisfactorily when the body portion is cylindrical in shape and uniform in diameter. The upper extremity of the body portion 32 curvedly terminates and merges with an annular outwardly disposed substantially horizontal flange portion 36. To provide a smooth outerex: tremity for removal purposes and to provide a means of. securing and protecting advertising or other identifying indicia in the form of paper or cardboard wafers 38 (see Fig. 1), the extremity of the flange portion 36 is bent in: Wardly to form a bead 40 around the periphery thereof.

The upper portion 36 is sized so as to make the diam-. eter of the beaded periphery thereof approximate the locking ring diameter 10 and as such to overhang the curved portion 22. The above proportioning providesa suitable and convenient extension which permits the manual removal of the closure member from the container and in addition provides a construction, together with the beaded portion 40, that affords a firm base for vertical.

stacking or packaging of the containers and yet protects the advertising or identifying indicia on the wafers 38.

Externally disposed on the closure member and at least on the container contacting surfaces of the body portion 32 thereof is a thin film of resilient deformable plastic material. This plastic should be such as not to chemi-- cally react with the container contents or otherwise contaminate the same. The film 42 aids in the maintenance of the hermetic seal and accommodates small variations in the internal diameter of commercially available containers.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the steps relating to the insertion of the closure member into a bottle of the type. conventionally used for ginger ale, various cola drinks and. the like. In Fig. 3 the closure member is positioned above the mouth of the container preparatory to insertion therein. The relative dimensions of the, container and the body portion 32 are preferably such that the body portion 32 is of a diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of the container. Insertion of the closure member into the container is simply and readily accomplished by the action of a vertically reciprocable cylindrical ram 44 sized to fit loosely within the body portion 32 and having the lower portion 46 thereof of a slightly sharper convex curvature than the concave curvature of the bottom portion 34. The contouring facilitates deformation of the closure member and permits ready insertion of the same into the container.

As shown in Fig. 4, a downward pressure exerted by the ram 44 results in an initial downward displacement of the concave-convex bottom portion 34 and an elastic increase in the curvature thereof. The elastic increase in curvature in turn results in an elastic decrease in diameter of the body portion 32 sufficient to permit the downward displacement of said body portion 32 into the neck of the container to an extent halted by the engagement of the horizontal surface 16 with the flange portion 36 as illustrated in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the body portion 32 of the inserted closure member is disposed in the portion of the neck 30 having the slightly increased internal diameter. The slightly tapering sides thereof provide a surface against which the body portion 32 abuts.

As a result of the above described construction and internal disposition of the closure member, any increase in pressure within the container acts upon the concavoconvex bottom portion 34 in such manner as to effect an outward deformation of the sides of the body portion 32. The internal pressure thus serves to provide an increased pressure of the body portion 32 against the sides of the neck of the container and in so doing furthers the frictional bond between said body portion 32 and the wall of the neck portion. Thus it is apparent that any increase in pressure within the container only serves to more securely fix the closure member within the container neck and as such aids in the preservation and maintenance of the hermetic seal.

The closure member described above is readily removed from the container by manual grasping of the overhanging portions of the upper flanged surface 36 with or without the utilization of a mechanical aid. The removal of the closure member from the container does not result in any permanent deformation of the closure member and it may be reinserted any number of times to preserve the partially used container contents.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of this invention, together with the elements which I now consider to constitute a workable embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the structure disclosed is only illustrative and the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and modified without interfering with the more general results outlined.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A reusable metallic closure member for containers having a predetermined internal neck diameter, a predetermined locking ring diameter and contoured locking ring area comprising an outwardly flanged and substantially horizontally disposed upper portion sized to outwardly terminate at a location adjacent the extent of said locking ring diameter, an integral frusto-conically shaped resilient body portion of substantially uniform thickness sized to pressure fit internally within the neck of said container and within the locking ring area thereof, and an integral elastically deformable bottom portion concavoconvex in shape over at least a portion of its extent in such a manner as to be downwardly convex and upwardly concave, and a thin film of resilient deformable material disposed at least on the container contacting surface of said body portion, said body portion, deformable bottom portion and thin film of deformable material thereon being sized so as to have an external diameter in undeformed condition greater than the internal neck diameter of the container and said metallic material being of a character so that longitudinal elastic depression of said bottom portion cooperatively effects a radial elastic deformation of said body portion suflicient to permit insertion of said body portion within the neck of the container within the locking ring area thereof.

2. The closure member as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the outer extremity of said outwardly flanged upper portion is deformed to form a beaded periphery thereon.

3. A reusable metallic closure member for containers having a predetermined internal neck diameter, a predetermined locking ring diameter and contoured locking ring area comprising an outwardly flanged and substantially horizontally disposed upper portion sized to outwardly terminate at a location adjacent the extent of said locking ring diameter, an integral frusto-conically shaped resilient body portion of substantially uniform thickness sized to pressure fit internally within the neck of said container and within the locking ring area thereof, an integral elastically deformable bottom portion concave-convex in shape over at least a portion of its extent in such a manner as to be downwardly convex and upwardly concave, and a thin film of resilient deformable plastic material disposed at least on the container contacting surface of said body portion, said body portion, deformable bottom portion and thin film of plastic material thereon being sized so as to have an external diameter in undeformed condition greater than the internal neck diameter of the container and said metallic material being of a character so that longitudinal elastic depression of said bottom portion cooperatively effects a radial elastic deformation of said body portion sufficient to permit insertion of said body portion within the neck of the container within the locking ring area thereof.

4. The closure member as set forth in claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the outer extremity of said outwardly flanged upper portion is deformed to form a beaded periphery thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 28, 1951 

